But I get the idea that if you keep giving freebies and treats to people, they will just keep coming back for more.

Everyone needs to be taught self-sufficiency to the extent possible.

These days where everyone is some sort of specialists and “subject matter expert,” there are very few people who are really self-sufficient and can survive on their own.

Instead, we have a society of people that are mutually dependent (codependent)–and most would starve or freeze to death if they didn’t have someone else supplying the “muffins.”

This all reminds me of a funny story when I was a kid, where a crazy lady friend of my parents came over to their house when my parents were sitting shiva (in mourning after the loss of one of my grandparents).

This crazy lady actually laid down on their living room couch so the other people coming to pay their respects couldn’t, and then she wouldn’t leave–hint after hint, she just laid there sprawled on their couch.

Finally, my dad got up from his mourning, fed her some food, and actually gave her some money–literally to leave–which she finally did and not to be mean, but really as a relief to everyone.

In this case, my dad gave the moose a muffin to go away and it worked, thank G-d.

But as is with moose’s, I am pretty sure she came back another day for more muffins. 😉